Flue cleaner



L. M. DAVIS. FLUE CLEANER.

APPLICTION FILED NOV. 2,1920.

` Patented Maf. 7,1922,

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

L M. nAvasf FLUE CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2,'1920.

92 Am n@ 7H mm lil Me E :uw wz mA nu .D1 U H H H N. H Il ,H l m m I m vm I H UNITED STATES LEONARD M. DAVIS, OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE,

FLUE CLEANER.

Specification oi" Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

Application filed November 2, 1920. Serial No. 421,296.

To all 107mm t may concern.'

Be it lmown that L, LEONARD M. Davis, a citizen oit the United States, residing at Knoxville, in the county of Knox and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and usei'ul improvement in Flue Cleaners, of which the following is a specification, reference being had te the accompanying drawing` My improvement relates particularly to flue cleaners operated by the use of steam in such manner as to induce a powerful draft of air through the flue to be cleaned.

The object of the invention is to provide a structure which is strong and eiiicient in operation and which can be made to a large extent out of stock materials, whereby the manufacture is simplified and cheapened. The invention is equally adapted to cleaning `one tube at a time or to cleaning two tubes simultaneously.

ln the accompanying drawings. F10'. l 1s a side elevation of an ao Jaratus e L embodying my improvement, parts being broken away; A

F10'. 2 is a lono'itudinal u )richt section ot b e; I in the left hand part oi' the same apparatus;

Fig. 3 is a continuation of the section shown by F ig. 2; l

F 1g, 4 is a sectional view of a structure to be used for cleaning two tubes.

Referring to said drawings, A 1s the discharge end of one of the tubes of a horizontal tubular boiler. Usually there is a smoke stack above the discharge end ot such a boiler, and my invention contemplates moving the accumulations et soot and ashes out of the discharge end of such a tube and upward through the smoke stack. A

4structure embodying one form of my improvement is shown in its entirety by Fig. l, excepting that portions oil' the body are broken away to shorten the drawing. B is a tubular, cast metal head curved so as to form a mouth, B1, having a horizontal axis and to form a discharge nozzle, B2, which is directed upward on an upright axis. The mouth has a lip, B3, which is converging toward the mouth axis so as to adapt it to extend partially into and bear against the end orn a. boiler flue. Said lip is supported by and integral with the flaring part, B4. By the combination of the lip and the flaring part in the manner shown the slanting exterior of the lip is attained while the interior diameter of the lower part of the head `is kept within limits and this part of the head is kept in form for easy molding. From the part, B4, the structure is of approximately uniform diameter until the upright part of the structure is reached. Thence there is a gradual contraction to the upper end of the structure, whereby the discharge end of the nozzle is made smaller than the interior diameter ot the mouth at the lip, B3. In the outer wall of the curved part of the structure, approximately in line with the axis of the mouth, B1, is formed a pipe connection, The external part of this connection is on a horizontal axis and is internally screwthreaded and adapted to receive the exteriorly screw-threaded end of a pipe, C. The member, B5, is turned upward from the horizontal to the upright and the upright part is tapered to form an upward-directed nozzle, B6. i

The member, B5, and its nozzleB, and the lip, B3, and flaring part, B4, are parts of the head, B, said members or parts being cast integral with the other parts of the head. The nozzle, BG, extends into the interior of the head, B, far enough to discharge upward into the middle part of the nozzle, B2.

The right hand end of the pipe, C, is screw-threaded into one end of the branch coupling, C1. Said coupling has the branch, C2, into which is threaded the rupper end of a pipe, C3. Over the lower end of said pipe is drawn a llexible tube, D, which is to be connected with a source ott steam supply or similar expansive medium. The left hand end oit a pipe, C4, is screw-threaded into the right i hand end of the coupling, C1. A tubular handle, E, of wood or other non-heat-conducting material surrounds the pipe, C4, at any desired point. l

The socket, E4, of a handle, E3, surrounds thei-ight hand or cuter end of the pipe, C4, and is secured to said pipe by means of a set bolt, E5. Said handle maybe turned after loosening the set bolt. Thus the handle may be adjusted to'meet the needs of `any operator. The handle, E, may be shifted endwise on the pipe, G4, to vary the distance between that handle and the handle, E, to meet the needs oi diiierent operators. The handle, E, may be secured in the desired position Vby means of pins, E1, set in apertures, E2, formed in the pipe, C4. The left hand or inner end of the pipe, C4, is closed by means of a plug, G.

The operation is as follows:

One end of the flexible pipe, D, is atand its nozzle, B, and upward thiough the nozzle, B2, of the. head, B. The upward pressure of the steam is sutlicient to drive beioreit all the air and other gaseous constituents. By this means a partial vacuum is created in the head, B, 'and air rushes `for- Wardthrough thevue, A, into said head. This displacement of air and consequent partial creation of a vacuum in the head, B, proceeds continuously, and consequently there is a continuous flow of air and combustion products through the flue, A. The

Astream of air andcombustion products thus created has such velocity as to cause the dis- =this additional mechanism being shown in lodging and forward movement of soot and ashes from the interior of the flue, A, such movement. being upward through the head,

B. The blast created by the steam escaping from the nozzle, B2, accelerates the normal 'draft in the smokeA stack and consequently all the soot rand ashes are carried upward through the *l smoke stack.

As already stated, the head, B, and its lip, B3, and the connecting member, B5, with its vsmaller nozzle, BG, constitutes an integral or one-piece casting requiring no machining whatever excepting to interiorly thread the outer end oit the connecting member, B. The pipes, C, C3 and C4, maybe cut from any stock piping` such as is used for steam or water distribution. The pipe, C4, need be threaded only at its left hand end and be provided with the apertures, F2, for the pins, E1. The plug, G, is placed into the left hand or inner end of the pipe, C4, to ein clude steam from said pipe.

i The construction so far described is that used when the device is to be used for cleaning one tube at a time; but when it-is desired` to clean or blow out two tubes simultaneously, Iadd to the structure shown in -Figs. 1, 2 and 8 the necessary elements to permit the cleaning of two tubes at once',

Fig. 4. In said Fig. l the head, B, instead of `being made of the exact shape shown inV Figs. l and 2, may have the member, B5, `formed with a second pipe connection B7 shown in Fig. 4.

; To this pipe connection B7 is connected a pipe H on which is a valve F, this valve preferably having a crank arm, F1, and a '1spring,F2, the latter normally holding the valve closed. rIovthe crank arm, F1, is connected a wire F3, supported in guides C5r which extends out in proximity to the handle'E so that the operator having hold of the handle may, by slipping a i'inger through he ring F4 on' the end oi the wire F3, pull said wire and open the valve F for a purpose to be hereinafter described. rIo the lower end of the pipe I-I 'is connected by means of an elbow, 'a horizontal pipe I at right angles to the pipe H, the latter termn ing a support for a casting or head .I having a iiaring mouth .Il substantially identical with the mouth B1 of Figs. 1 and 2. y T he pipe I is extended through the casting J and is shaped to form a nozzle I1 so as topermit steam to be injected through the casting whenever the valve F is opened by pulling on theiwire In the operation of, this form of my invention, the operator places the apparatus shown in Fig. 4l so that the two mouths Bl and Il are incontact-with two companion tubes, as the tubesV T1 and T2 shown in Fig. a. Steam being admitted to the apparatus through a pipe D identical with the pipe I) shown in F l, the valve VF being closed, the action o the apparatus is identical with that shown in Fig. l. As soon,how ever, as a draft has been ,created upwardly in the nozzle B2 ci Fig. 4l so that the suction cleaning action is beginning to take place,

the operator may then pull upon the wire F a to open the valve F when steam will also pass downward through the pipe H and out through the nozzle I1 so that 4it will be injected into the tube T2. The further operation oi the device now has a combined action the steam causing a suction through the upper tube T1 while thesteamis positively forced through the other tube T2 thus veffectually cleaning the two tubes simultaneously.

I claim as my invention,

i. In a port-able structure of the nature described, the combination of a member having a mouth adapted to beplaced on the end of one tube and having an upward directed nozzle to cause suction to clean said tube and an auxiliary nozzle device adaptedV to be placed on the end ci a second tube to force steam therethrough, and operator-controlled means for delivering steam to said nozzles,

substantially as described.

2. In a portable structure of the nature described, the combination of two members adapted to be placed on vthe ends oi two boiler tubes closing the tubes, one of said members having an upward-directed nozzle directed-to provide'suctionlfrom one of said tubes and the other member having a nozzle to drive steam through the other tube, and operator-controlled Vmeans for' deliveringsteam to said nozzles, substantially as described.

3. In a portable structure of thernature described, the combination of two members adapted to be placed on the ends of two boiler tubes, one of Said members having a nozzle directed to provide suction from one of said tubes and the other member having a nozzle to drive steam through the other tube, and steam delivery means comprising a valve permitting one of said nozzles to be operated independently of the other, substantially as described.

4. ln a structure of the nature described, the combination of a head comprising a mouth adapted toV be placed in operative relation with one tube of a boiler and having an upwardly directed nozzle, a second mouth piece adapted to be placed in operative relation with a second or companion boiler tube, a steam connection between said heads, a valve in said connection, a handle connected with one of said heads, and an operating device for the valve, whereby the device may be used to clean out one tube by suction and then the valve opened to permit the steam to blow out the companion tube, substantially as described.

5. In a structure of the nature described, the combination of a head comprising a mouth adapted to be placed in operative relation with one tube of a boiler and having an upwardly directed nozzle, a steam delivery tube Supplying steam to said head, a

second mouth piece adapted to be placed in operative relation with a second or companion boiler tube, a steam connection between said heads, a valve in said connection, a han- "dle connected with one of said heads, and

an operating device for the valve, whereby the device may be used to clean out one tube by suction and then the valve opened to permit the steam to blow out the companion tube, substantially as described.

6. 'In a structure of the nature described, the combination of a head comprising a mouth adapted to be placed in operative relation with one tube of a boiler and having an upwardly directed nozzle, a tubular handle connected to the said head, a steam delivery tube supplying steam to said head, a second mouth piece adapted to be placed in operative relation with a second or companion boiler tube, a steam connection between said heads, a valve in said connection, a handle connected with one of said heads, and an operating device for the valve, whereby the device may be used to clean out one tube by suction and then the valve opened to permit steam to blow out the companion tube, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof l have signed my name, this 29th day of October, in the year one thousand nine hundred and twent LEONARD M. DAVIS. 

